This invention relates to mounting and presenting cards such as gift cards, telephone cards, etc., in a package assembly particularly for point-of-sale applications, and to a method of manufacture of a package assembly containing a card therein.
Various cards, such as gift cards and telephone debit cards of a predetermined value and the like, are sold and dispensed to purchasers in high volumes, typically at a point-of-sale location in a retail store. In other instances, credit cards, debit cards, or identification cards are delivered to a person within a card package which securely mounts and protects the card and covers portions of the card containing confidential information. In most instances, the package assembly is aesthetically pleasing with indicia on the packaging informing the purchaser of the nature of the card and its value with a window allowing the purchaser to view the card or a portion thereof. For example, a gift card may be sold by a video chain store denominating the value of the card to the receiver while advertising the video store and a certain movie video that can be purchased or rented with use of the card. Similarly, a phone debit package will show the monetary value of the card, usually for minutes of long distance calling, as well as a replica of the card and access to certain information needed for tracking the card after its purchase. Typically, the card package is made of paper or paperboard and the card is made of a stiffer or thicker material of plastic and, in some instances, of paper.
Card packages are usually folded sheets of paper material folded into a variety of known fold configurations such as xe2x80x9cA,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cV,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cC,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cZ,xe2x80x9d etc., with automatic folding equipment with the panels adhered to one another to complete the package. In the xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-folded configurations, there are usually only two panels connected to one another by a common fold line at one end of the package and with the other side edges of the panels adhered to each other with an adhesive pattern. In the xe2x80x9cZxe2x80x9d fold configuration, the sheet material is folded into three panels with two fold lines at the opposite ends of the package and with one internal panel between front and rear panels of the package. Access to the card within the package is usually with an opening-facilitating (tear) strip defined by one or more lines of weakness in the package material. Various indicia indicate how to remove the tear strip and a pull tab on the tear strip may be provided to assist the purchaser in gaining access to the card. The sheet material for the package is often die cut, such as to form windows or openings to view the card or information on the card and perforations are provided to form a tracking strip or tear strips. Reinforcing or release tapes may also be adhered to the sheet material when making a reinforced tracking strip to facilitate removal of the tracking strip from the package and a subsequent adherence of the tracking strip into a merchant=s journal or the like, such as for a long-distance minutes phone card.
There is a need for an inexpensive package assembly for mounting and presenting cards that has a window to allow the viewers to see the card through a transparent plastic window or window patch that covers the card, thereby preventing removal of the card and scratching or other damage to the card before the sale and removal of the card from the package.
It will be appreciated that gift and phone cards often have only a small value; and hence the cost of manufacture of the card package and assembling the card therein must be kept low and should be highly automated using automatic web handling equipment with the individual package sheet blanks being severed from the web prior to being formed into the final package assembly. Preferably, gluing, die cutting, perforations, placing of the cards and adhering the same to the web are done at various stations as the web continuously travels through the machine at a relatively high speed. Also, the folding of the sheet and adhering of the sheet panels into the package configuration is done with a high-speed automatic folding machine.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a new and improved card package having a viewing window which is covered by a transparent, plastic window sheet or patch allowing the viewer to see the card or a portion thereof while the plastic window patch protects the card against damage. That is, the card is encased behind a visible, transparent window of plastic to remain clean and undamaged while exposed and in full view to the purchaser. This is achieved by separating a window piece of plastic from an elongated plastic strip or web and adhering the separated patch to the package sheet material to cover the cut-out window in the package sheet material. Preferably, an adhesive pattern is formed on the transparent window patch to adhere to the sheet material about the cut-out window with the adhesive pattern being hidden from view and within the interior of the final folded package assembly. The preferred transparent window strip or tape, from which the window patches are made, is a rolled tape and it may be one of several clear plastic materials such as MYLAR(copyright), styrene, polyethylene, or polystyrene.
In another embodiment of the invention, the entire plastic window strip is covered with adhesive and the card is adhered to the window adhesive which, in turn, is adhered to the packaging material.
The preferred method of manufacture of producing the card package assembly comprises providing a printed web of sheet material to form into a folded package; providing cutouts in the traveling web to form a window for each folded package to view the card or a portion thereof; providing a clear transparent strip of window patch material; severing individual window patches from the strip and placing the window patches over the cut-out windows in the sheet material; adhering the window patches to the sheet material; mounting the card on the sheet material with the card aligned with the cut-out window to be viewed; applying adhesive to the sheet material web that will hold panels together in the final package assembly; severing each package sheet with a card thereon from the web; folding the severed sheet into a folded configuration having at least two panels and a fold line; and adhering the panels to one another to form the final package with the card being located between the panels and visible through the window patch. Manifestly, the order of these several operations in this method may be varied from that described above, if so desired.
In the preferred method, a perforating of the sheet material is performed to make a line of weakness and to form a tear strip in one of the panels to allow access to the card upon removal of the tear strip.
Also, patterns of adhesive are formed on the non-folded side edges of the package panels and the side edges of the panels are adhered to one another to form a closed package enclosing the card in the closed package to prevent unauthorized removal of the card from the package assembly.
In one form of the invention, the folding operation involves a single fold in the sheet material and folding the sheet material into an xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-folded configuration for the final package assembly. In another form of the invention, the folding operation involves forming two folds in the sheet material and folding the three panels into a xe2x80x9cZxe2x80x9d-folded configuration. Also, the three-panel configuration may be formed into a xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d configuration by folding and adhering the third panel between the first and second panels. In another embodiment of the invention, the sheet material is provided with lines of weakness to allow bending of flanges to form a bottom-standing feature or display platform for standing the card package assembly upright.
In instances where the card is a phone card, a tracking strip is releasably adhered to web of sheet material for removal after purchase. A removable release strip may be provided on the tracking strip to uncover an adhesive patters to be used by the merchant to adhere the tracking strip in his journal. In card packages, such as a gift or phone card package, another cut opening may be made in a sheet material panel to allow viewing of indicia on a back interior side of the card, such as for verifying the value of or identity of the card.